For people who suffer from sciatica pain, getting relief is usually high on their list of things to do. Sciatica pain is a grueling pain caused by irritation of the roots or lower lumbar and lumbosacral spine. Some common symptoms include burning or tingling that goes down your leg, a shooting pain that may make it difficult to stand up or a constant pain on one side of your back that extends down your leg.
When it comes to sciatica pain, many people benefit from physical therapy. There are many things a physical therapist may do to help relieve your sciatica including:
Massage – This helps relieve the tension that could possibly be pressing on your sciatic nerve and causing you pain.
Nerve Stimulation – This technique is done by using a machine to stimulate your muscles through variable intensities of electrical current. While it may not sound very appealing, this is a safe way to relieve sciatica pain.
Hot/Cold Therapies – Usually this involves alternating a heat pack and a cold pack to help reduce muscle spasms and slow circulation. This is also a great technique to reduce inflammation and pain.
Home Exercises – Your physical therapist will likely give you exercises to do at home to further relieve your sciatica symptoms.
The great thing about physical therapy is that each physical therapy program is tailored to each patient depending on their symptoms and health history. If you are referred to a physical therapist due to sciatica pain, make sure you choose a physical therapist that is experienced in treating patients for sciatica problems. If you are tired of suffering from pain associated with your sciatica nerve, consider physical therapy. Chances are, you will be feeling an incredible amount of relief in no time.